Robbery at Sampath Bank, Colombo, Super Branch

A person arming himself with face covered had at 7.10 in the morning yesterday (27) broken into the Super Branch of Sampath Bank down Dharmapala Mawatha near the Public Library in Colombo which incidentally is open 365 days and after assaulting the security guards had in turn threatened members of the bank staff and had later fled after looting a sum of 55 lakhs.

This special bank branch which is open even on Poya Day is open from 7 in the morning till 10 in the night. On this particular day at 7 in the morning the bank was opened and a part of the money was removed from the safe and it was being counted to reserve the cash necessary for the day's transactions at which moment this robbery was launched.

The robber who had come on a motor bicycle had been covering his face with a helmet and was clad in a jacket and Denim trouser. In his possession had been a travelling bag too. The two security guards who noticed that the man was trying to enter the bank with his face covered had promptly asked him to remove the head-covering and jacket. At that moment instead of doing what he was told he had shown the weapon in his hand and had even dealt a blow with the butt of the weapon and gained entry to the bank. Maybe because it was the time the bank was opened early that morning, the guards had no weapons in their possession at that moment.

Subsequently he had shown the weapon to everyone in the bank and had then frightened them and had dumped into his bag 35 lakhs which was in charge of the Manager and 20 lakhs at the cashier counter. On that occasion as a worker who was behind had at that very instance pressed the alarm-button, the siren sound had spread all round the bank and with that sound the robber had got upset and fled. In fact as he had got confused and scared over the siren-sound, he had forgotten to set his hands on a sum of Rs. 20 lakhs lying beside the cashier's counter. Anyway while fleeing like this it was observed that he had been even calling someone over the phone as well.

At the time this robbery took place there had been 11 members of the staff there in the bank on duty, it is understood. The police suspect that an employee of the bank itself has operated as an accomplice in this robbery. Though the figure of the suspect is marked on the CCTV camera fixed in the bank, it had not been possible to identify him because he had covered his face totally. He had worn the helmet only after draping a handkerchief across his face, the CCTV provides evidence. The CID Colombo and the Slave Island Police are conducting investigations in this regard.